Avalanche danger will increase this weekend as new snow and wind will form unstable slabs at upper elevations.
Fresh wind slabs will likely form along ridgetops by Saturday afternoon, with new snow and strong southwest wind in the forecast.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Cloudy skies, no precipitation, strong wind from the southwest, treeline temperatures around -6 C.
SATURDAY: Cloudy with flurries starting in the morning and 5-10 cm of snow by the late afternoon, strong wind from the southwest, treeline temperatures around -6 C.
SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with scattered flurries bringing another 5-15 cm of snow, wind easing off throughout the day with mostly light northeast gusts, treeline temperatures drop to -15 C throughout the day.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny, moderate wind from the northeast, treeline temperatures around -20 C.
Avalanche activity over the past few days has been limited to small (size 1) slab and loose avalanches in steep alpine terrain. With the incoming storm we could expect to see larger wind slabs form at upper elevations.
New snow will form some isolated wind slabs at upper elevations and bring 5 to 10 cm of low density snow in sheltered terrain. Roughly 10 to 20 cm of snow sits above hard wind-affect snow and melt-freeze crusts. The snowpack below is well consolidated, with a crust/facet layer found near the bottom of the snowpack. It is currently considered dormant, but could become active later this season as discussed in this forecaster blog.
